Heretofore, when hitching up a tractor and backhoe as described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,487, it has been necessary to jockey the tractor back and forth until accurate alignment is achieved between the center line of the tractor and the backhoe. This procedure is usually time consuming and is particularly difficult on uneven or rough terrain.
One object of this invention is to provide an improved coupling arrangement in which vertical movement of the backhoe causes alignment between the coupling means of the hauling vehicle and the backhoe. In this connection at least the base portion of a backhoe is vertically lowered by raising the stabilizer legs for intercoupling connection to the tractor and upon being lowered the coupling end portion of the backhoe is laterally shifted into coupling alignment with the tractor.
It is a further object of this invention to provide aligning coupling arrangement of the above type in which the drag between the stabilizer legs of the backhoe and the ground or other supporting surface is substantially reduced during lateral displacement thereof.
Another object of this invention is to provide aligning coupling mechanism of the above type which is simple and economical to manufacture, while being of durable and reliable construction and easy to use.